Last week USA Racquetball (USAR) held its National Team Singles Qualifying event, and Racquetball Canada held its National Championship. There were some new winners and some repeat winners in both.
The USAR’s event was the National Adult Team Singles Qualifying in Memory of Geoff Peters (or the NATSQMGP) at the Glass Court club in Lombard, Illinois, where Geoff Peters played an instrumental part in supporting and developing racquetball for decades until his death in 2022. As a stand alone event, there were not many participants. Only five women and ten men competed for spots to make the USA National Team, which will compete at the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile this October. That’s significantly fewer players than competed at the 2022 National Championships, when there were 19 players in Men’s Singles and 14 in Women’s Singles.
Daniel De La Rosa and Erika Manilla won the Men’s and Women’s events, respectively, in Illinois. In the Men’s Final, De La Rosa defeated Adam Manilla, who as the 5th seed was a surprise finalist, 3-11, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6, while Manilla, Adam’s sister, defeated Kelani Lawrence in the women’s final, 11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6.
This is the second USAR event De La Rosa has played. He has previously competed for Mexico, where he was born. Indeed, De La Rosa is the current International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Men’s Doubles, winning the title with Alvaro Beltran last year in De La Rosa’s hometown of San Luis Potosi, Mexico.
De La Rosa also won Men’s Doubles earlier this year with Alejandro Landa in Arizona, which was his first USAR National Team event. Thus, we believe that De La Rosa has double qualified to be on Team USA.
In the semi-finals, De La Rosa defeated Landa, 11-9, 11-9, 11-3, while Manilla upset top seed Jake Bredenbeck, 2-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-2. According USAR rules the semi-finalists will all be appointed to Team USA from which a travelling team will be created.
Of note, veteran Rocky Carson was in the draw, but was a late withdrawal. Carson has competed at every Pan Am Games with racquetball since 2003, winning gold in Men’s Singles in 2011 and 2015. However, it seems he will not be going to Chile.
In the Women’s semis, Erika Manilla came back from two games down to defeat Holly Scott, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5, while Lawrence beat veteran Rhonda Rajsich, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6. Rajsich needed five games to get past Lexi York in the quarterfinals, and lost the 3rd Place match to Scott, 11-7, 11-5, 11-3. However, by making the semis Rajsich should qualify for Team USA.
The USA’s results at the 2023 Pan American Championships in April qualified them to send 3 men and 2 women to the Pan Am Games. On the women’s side, it seems like the players will be Manilla and Lawrence, as they were the singles finalists and also in the doubles final in February, when Manilla and Michelle De La Rosa defeated Lawrence and Scott.
The men’s side isn’t quite as clear. We understand that De La Rosa is clear to compete for the USA, so he should be going to Chile, as the winner of singles and doubles. Adam Manilla should also be going, as he was runner up in both singles and doubles. The third player could be Landa, as he won doubles with De La Rosa, and made the semis of singles.
But Landa lost the 3rd place match to Bredenbeck, 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8. However, Bredenbeck lost in the semi-finals of doubles, so maybe he’ll be on the outside looking in for Chile.
If you missed any of the matches from Lombard, check out the USA Racquetball YouTube channel.
2023 Racquetball Canada National Championships
Samuel Murray and Frédérique Lambert are the 2023 Racquetball Canada National Champions in Men's and Women's Singles, respectively, winning the titles last Saturday in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It’s Murray’s 5th consecutive title, and also Lambert’s 5th - and 3rd consecutive - title. In the Men’s Final, Murray beat 2nd seed Coby Iwaasa, 11-4, 12-10, 11-3, while Lambert defeated 4th seed Juliette Parent, 11-2, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4, in the Women’s Final.
Lambert also won Women’s Doubles with partner Michèle Morissette, as they defeated the other four teams competing. Indeed, they only lost two games across those four matches. They needed four games to beat Alexis Iwaasa and Danielle Ramsay, 11-5, 11-4, 13-15, 11-4, four games against sisters Juliette and Marjolaine Parent, winning 11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8. The title is Lambert and Morissette’s 2nd consecutive, and overall it’s Lambert’s 3rd and Morissette’s 4th doubles titles.
Murray had a chance to win his 7th Men’s Doubles and 4th consecutive with his brother Tommy Murray, but they were upset in the final by 2nd seeds Iwaasa and Kurtis Cullen, 12-10, 11-9, 11-4. The win was Iwaasa’s 4th doubles title, and the 1st for Cullen.
Canada’s results at the 2023 Pan American Championships qualified them to send 2 men and 2 women to the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile in October, and the likely candidates are Murray and Iwaasa on the men’s side and Lambert and Morissette on the women’s side.
If you missed any of the matches from Winnipeg, check out the Racquetball Canada YouTube channel.
2023 USA Racquetball Adult Team Singles Qualifying In Memory of Geoff Peters
Lombard, Illinois - May 25-28, 2023
Men's Singles - Quarterfinals
1) Jake Bredenbeck d. 8) James Black, 11-4, 11-3, 11-3
5) Adam Manilla d. 4) Thomas Carter, 9-11, 11-6, 14-12, 11-5
3) Alejandro Landa d. 6) Rocky Carson, forfeit
2) Daniel De La Rosa d. 7) Sam Bredenbeck, 11-4, 14-16, 12-10, 11-7
Semi-finals
5) Adam Manilla d. 1) Jake Bredenbeck, 2-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-2
2) Daniel De La Rosa d. 3) Alejandro Landa, 11-9, 11-9, 11-3
Final
2) Daniel De La Rosa d. 5) Adam Manilla, 3-11, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6
3rd place
1) Jake Bredenbeck d. 3) Alejandro Landa, 11-8, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8
Women's Singles - Quarterfinals
1) Kelani Lawrence - BYE
4) Rhonda Rajsich d. 5) Lexi York, 11-7, 11-6, 5-11, 9-11, 11-9
3) Hollie Scott - BYE
2) Erika Manilla - BYE
Semi-finals
1) Kelani Lawrence d. 4) Rhonda Rajsich, 11-8, 11-6, 11-6
2) Erika Manilla d. 3) Hollie Scott, 7-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5
Final
2) Erika Manilla d. 1) Kelani Lawrence, 11-3, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6
3rd place
3) Hollie Scott d. 4) Rhonda Rajsich, 11-7, 11-5, 11-3
2023 Racquetball Canada National Championships
May 23-27, 2023 - Winnipeg, Manitoba
Men's Open - Singles
Final
1) Samuel Murray d. 2) Coby Iwaasa, 11-4, 12-10, 11-3
3rd Place
5) Kurtis Cullen d. 6) Tanner Prentice, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9
Semi-finals
1) Samuel Murray d. 5) Kurtis Cullen, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6
2) Coby Iwaasa d. 6) Tanner Prentice, 11-2, 11-7, 11-8
Quarterfinals
1) Samuel Murray d. 19) Jeff Buller, 11-5, 11-7, 11-4
5) Kurtis Cullen d. 4) Lee Connell, 12-10, 11-6, 10-12, 11-4
6) Tanner Prentice d. 3) Trevor Webb, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8
2) Coby Iwaasa d. 7) Nathan Jauvin, 11-4, 11-3, 11-1
Women's Open - Singles
Final
1) Frédérique Lambert d. 4) Juliette Parent, 11-2, 11-7, 10-12, 11-4
3rd place
3) Michèle Morissette d. 2) Christine Keay, forfeit
Semi-finals
1) Frédérique Lambert d. 3) Michèle Morissette, 11-4, 10-12, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5
4) Juliette Parent d. 2) Christine Keay, 11-9, 3-11, 11-8, 11-6
Quarterfinals
1) Frédérique Lambert - BYE
3) Michèle Morissette d. 5) Danielle Ramsay, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9
4) Juliette Parent d. 7) Marjolaine Parent, 11-7, 11-8, 12-10
2) Christine Keay - BYE
Men's Open - Doubles
Final
2) Kurtis Cullen & Coby Iwaasa d. 1) Samuel Murray & Tommy Murray , 12-10, 11-9, 11-4
3rd Place
3) Lee Connell & Trevor Webb d. 4) Nathan Jauvin & Michael Leduc, 11-6, 10-12, 11-8, 8-11, 11-2
Semi-finals
1) Samuel Murray & Tommy Murray d. 4) Nathan Jauvin & Michael Leduc, 11-6, 11-3, 11-5
2) Kurtis Cullen & Coby Iwaasa d. 3) Lee Connell & Trevor Webb, 13-11, 11-8, 11-8
Quarterfinals
1) Samuel Murray & Tommy Murray d. 9) Devin Halko & Paul Shanks, 11-3, 11-5, 11-5
4) Nathan Jauvin & Michael Leduc d. 5) Naman Gauri & Christian Pocsai, 6-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8
3) Lee Connell & Trevor Webb d. 6) Conrad Cole & Tanner Prentice, 11-9, 11-3, 12-10
2) Kurtis Cullen & Coby Iwaasa d. 7) Jeff Buller & David Serra, 11-4, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5
Women's Open - Doubles - Round robin
1) Frédérique Lambert & Michèle Morissette - 4 wins & 0 losses (12 games won, 2 lost)
2) Christine Keay & Cassie Prentice - 2-2 (7-7)
3) Alexis Iwaasa & Danielle Ramsay - 2-2 (7-6)
4) Juliette Parent & Marjolaine Parent - 2-2 (7-7)
5) Disney Linares & Ofelia Wilscam - 0-4 (1-12)
Follow the bouncing ball….
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